This Guy

This Guy!

Excuse me while I gush for a moment. This weekend I had the privilege to spend the day “Sherpaing” for my husband Stuart. For the last year plus, Stuart has usually been the one keeping tabs on my race day. But on Saturday, it was his race, and it was a doozy! The race was the Nine Trails in Santa Barbara. It was a 35 mile trail race with 11,000+ ft of gain. The trails were tricky and the day was hot, but Stuart did an amazing job!

This guy inspires me to be a better me everyday. And this race was no exception. It was brutal out there; but he just kept moving forward. I was so proud of him and I felt so lucky to be able to support him! I love him with all my heart and I feel lucky everyday to wake up next to him!

Stuart taking an oath not to do anything stupid!

Making his way to the first aid station, 9 miles in.

On his way to the finish.

DONE!

What-A-Workout – Hold the Pace

Taking a note from fellow Coeur Sports Ambassador and Ironman Boulder participant, Kecia, I thought I would start highlighting some of the workouts I really enjoy. I am being coached by Jen Mathe so I can’t take credit for creating the workouts; only for doing them! Check Jen out if you are in the market for the coach. She is pretty awesome in my opinion!

Sunday I did a swim called Hold the Pace. Essentially you do 20 X 100 all at the same pace, but after every 4 you get a little more rest. You should be swimming them around your threshold pace in the pool and the increase in rest as the set goes on should allow you to swim all 20 in the same time. I was feeling pretty good after a rest day on Saturday so I ended up swimming a little faster than I should have but I held the pace so I think I did well!

After the first one which was too fast (1:29), I backed off a little and went for 1:32 per 100. By sets of 4 I increased my rest by :05 per 100. So I did the 5 sets of 4 on 1:45, 1:50, 1:55, 2:00, and 2:05. But always swimming the 100 in 1:32 or just a little faster.

NAILED IT!!!

(The 1:09 was a watch issue but I swam the pace of 1:32)

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There is NO other option

Morning workouts are a drag. It can be helped by having someone to meet or a class to attend; but when it is just you and your plan, the failure rate increases. This morning as I lay in bed for 2 minutes after my alarm went off at 4:30, I realized the best argument that I can’t win against. There is no other option. When there is no other option to get your work out done you have no choice but  to get up and get it done. This is easy to accept for me with the pool. There are limited times to get in the pool so I can’t miss those opportunities. But I find it easier to talk myself out of the mornings for biking and running because I think I can get them done at night. Then I have kids to manage at night so that means I am sometimes working out until 9-10 PM.

So now my mantra is, “There is NO other option”. Once you accept that, getting going is much easier.

A few other tricks I have found that help get it done in the morning:

• Lay out all your kit the night before
• Prep your bike the night before (put it on the trainer, cue up your viewing on Netflix, or load up the Sufferfest Video you are going to do)
• Prep your work stuff the night before
• Pack your car with your swim gear and work clothes if necessary
• Pre-make the kids lunches
• Tell your significant other to kick you out of bed when the alarm goes off

Coeur Sports Headband Review

Photo credit @jesseluna

I got a no-slip head band from Coeur Sports the other day as a gift for posting a picture to their site on Valentine’s Day. They are really great about giving out freebies and goodies like this! Anyway, I finally wore it last night while doing my FTP test on the trainer. I have to admit, I have a funny shaped head and headbands NEVER stay on my head! Not this one; it was perfect!

I think the key is that even though it has elastic you can also adjust it. GENIUS!

They have a couple different colors/patterns to choose from and they match all the new designs for 2015 (I love how matchey-matchey they make their stuff!) and at $8 a band that is a great deal! Sometimes it is the little things that make a big difference!

Weight Goal

Wednesday this week I turn 40. There are some pretty amazing things going on in my life. I have two healthy and (mostly) happy boys, and two healthy and (mostly) happy step boys. I have three great dogs. I have a job that I enjoy (the commute, not so much). I have the most amazing husband who supports me and makes me feel like the most important thing in the world. I feel pretty strong and I am really excited about training for my 3rd Ironman, Boulder on August 2. The one thing I really want to do is slim down a little.

If you know me, you may think this is crazy. I am that unhappy with how I look; but I think there is room for improvement and it will be helpful on race day. So, I am putting it out there. Making my goal public. I need help staying accountable for this one because it is going to take a lot of discipline and planning. By race day I would like to have been maintaining a weight of 125 for 4 weeks. That means I should be 125 by the Fourth of July (nice easy date to shoot for). I am starting at 135.7 pounds. I am going to try and use My Fitness Pal linked with my Garmin Connect account to help keep track of what I eat and how many calories I burn. My plan for food is to try and eat more whole foods, less processed foods, and drink more water. No crazy dieting here; just smart eating.

I am giving myself until Monday 3/16 to get started. This week is my birthday and I plan on enjoying it! Wish me luck!